Forest of Dean 5

2018

Meecham, Charlie

Charlie Meecham’s upbringing in a rural environment has underpinned his practice throughout his life. With extensive experience in photographic processes, including film and digital, his works reflect an interest in photographic history and discourse.
The artist made a number of images in the Forest of Dean in 2018, part of an ongoing project that investigates how we relate to our immediate and surrounding environment. The series considers how trees behave in both rural and urban situations, as well as exploring topical concerns relating to our threatened environment. Scientists have helped us to understand how forests can reduce erosion and modify weather patterns; meanwhile, the increasing consumption of our dwindling natural resources seems too powerful a force to counter. Combined, this conjures a sense of isolation, anxiety and loss in these works. The artist suggests that a growing disconnect has developed between us and what we have come to term ‘the natural world’. In an attempt to overcome his feelings of detachment, Meecham plans walks through woodland in the UK and further afield. Rather than seeking out classic perfection in individual trees, he is interested in commenting on the life forces expressed through chance growth and aberration. For him, sometimes fallen branches can appear limb-like, almost human. He also reflects on how different species of trees interact with each other, behaving differently depending on the locations in which they grow, another human trait.

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